Process for bundling tobacco leaves



Sept. 25, 1962 G. c. vAUGHAN PROCESS FOR BUNDLING TOBACCO LEAVES Original Filed Dec. 50, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 GEPGE C. VUHHN Sept. 25, 1962 G. C. VAUGHAN EGE C VQUHAN Sept. 25, 1962 G. c. VAUGHAN 3,055,375

PROCESS FOR BUNDLINGTOBACCO LEAVES original Filed Deo. 5o, 1957 4 sheets-sheet s INVENTOR. w 6509656. mum/AN Sept. Z5, 1962 G. C. VAUG HAN PROCESS FOR BUNDLING TOBACCO LEAVES Original Filed Deo. 30, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. GERG/E C muah/,4N

United States Patent O 3,055,375 PROCESS FOR BUNDLING TOBACCO LEAVES George C. Vaughan, 161 Prospect Blvd., Waterloo, Iowa Original application Dec. 30, 1957, Ser. No. 706,026, now Patent No. 2,986,145, dated May 30, 1961. Divided and this application Oct. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 851,489

1 Claim. (Cl. 131-149) This invention relates to la method for bunching tobacco leaves and the like, and is particularly directed to a method for conveying tobacco leaves, aligning them at their butt ends, feeding them to a gatherer, gathering them in compact bundles, `and sequentially discharging the bundles onto a tieing table.

In present commercial practices tobacco leaves from curing sheds are manually graded and -then manually bunched and tied prior to sale or auction. As a result appreciable time, labor, expense and inconvenience is encountered in the handling of tobacco leaves after curing and prior to distribution for sale.

lt is an object of this invention to provide a method for bundling tobacco leaves preparatory to tieing the bundles.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel method of gathering and bundling tobacco leaves for tieing purposes.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method for conveying tobacco leaves and aligning their butt ends.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method for feeding tobacco leaves whose butt ends are aligned into a pocket.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel method of bundling tobacco leaves wherein leaves are automatically conveyed in a butt-end aligned formation to a feeding mechanism from whence the leaves are fed to one of a plurality o-f pockets'wherein the leaves are compacted in a bundle, the pockets being automatically opened to receive the leaves and then closed thereabout during semi-automatic movement of the pockets in sequence from leaf receiving stations to leaf discharging stations.

These objects and other features and advantages will become readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of the tobacco bundling machine embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is another perspective view of the machine of FIG 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, vertically exploded View in side elevation of elements of a rotatable unit norm-ally mounted in a side-by-side relation and showing their relative positions at one position of the rotatable unit;

FIG. 4 is a view Similar to FIG. 3 but showing the elements in related positions after movement of the unit out of the position of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 2, with some parts deleted for the purpose of clarity;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 6 6 in FIG. 2, with some'parts deleted for the purpose of clarity;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the driving mechanism for the tobacco bundler machine with some parts broken away for the purpose of clarity; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken longitudinally through the clutch unit and transversely of the machine.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 706,026 led December 30, 1957, now Patent No. 2,986,145. Referring now to the drawings, particularly to FIGS. l land 2, a machine for bundling tobacco leaves,

Patented Sept. 25, 1962 ice indicated generally at 10, comprises a frame structure 11 on which a conveyor unit 12 is mounted. Tobacco leaves are placed on the upper right end of the conveyor unit 12, as viewed in FIG. l, and are moved past a leaf aligning structure 13 toward a feeding unit 14. The unit 14 is regulated for controlled movement of the leaves into a guide means 16, whereupon a gathering assembly 17 is operable to gather the leaves in successive, compacted `bundles and transfer the bundles sequentially from the guide means 16 to a leaf discharging position over a tieing table top 18. p

The driving mechanism 23 (FIG. 7) for the machine 10 comprises a motor 24 for driving a conventional reduction unit 26 from which power is available to the machine 1t). Power for the conveyor unit 12, the leaf aligning structure 13, and the feeding unit 14 is taken off a pulley 27 mounted on a reduction unit shaft 28, by means of a belt 29 leading from the pulley 27 to a clutch unit 30. Power for the gathering assembly 17 is taken off the shaft 2S by means of an eccentrically mounted rod 31 (FIGS. l and 7) having a spring loaded pawl device 32 at the free end thereof (FIGS. 3 and 4).

The frame structure includes two pairs of upright, transversely opposed legs 33 and 34 '(FIG. l). The legs 33 are mounted at what -shall hereinafter be termed the rear of the machine and have secured at their tops a pair of horizontally disposed, transversely aligned support members 36 (only one of which is shown). A transverse .angle iron 37 connects the legs 33 together adjacent the bottom portions thereof, and a Ushaped hanger unit 38 depends from the support members 36 spaced forwardly of the legs 33, the lower portion 39 of the hanger unit 38 being horizontally level with the angle iron 37. An L-sh'aped support 35 has one portion secured across the iron 37 and the portion 39 and combines with these parts to support the motor 24 and the reduction unit 26.

The support members 36 extend rearwardly and forwardly of the legs 33 to support the rear and the front, respectively, of the conveyor unit 12 (FIG. l), the front of the unit being located near what shall hereinafter be referred to as the front of the machine 10. Connected to and depending from the front ends of the support members 36 are a pair of supporting straps 40, the bottoms lof which are secured to a pair of horizontally disposed, transversely opposed frame members 41 (only one of which is shown). The rear ends of the frame members 41 lare ysecured to upstanding portions 42 (only one shown) of the hanger unit 38, and the front ends 43 of the members 41 each support a side of the tieing table 18.

Supporting the frame members 41 adjacent to the strap -40 (FIG. l) connections, are the front pair of legs 34, similar to but of shorter length than the rear pair of legs 133, A transverse angle iron 44 is secured across the base portions of lthe front legs 34. Another transverse member 46 (FIG. 1) is secured between the frame members 41 intermediate to the straps =40 and the portions 42. At the rear of the frame structure 11, a pair of obtuse angular members 47 (only one showing) are secured each from an upstanding hanger portion 42 across a rear leg 33 and upwardly therefrom to the rear end of a frame member 36.

The conveyor unit 12 is mounted over the laterally spaced support members 36 (FIG. l) and is comprised of a plurality of continuous belts extending longitudinally of the machine 1 0 from the rear to adjacent the front.

A rst belt '51 (FIG. 2) runs -adjacent the leaf aligning structure 13, and the remaining belts 52, of which tive are shown, are spaced laterally from each other `and from the belt 51. Three rolls 53, 54 and 56 are rotatably mounted transversely on the machine for guiding the belts '51 and 52. A rear roll 53 and an intermediate roll 54 are mounted on the rear ends and adjacent the front ends, respectively, of the members 36, and the front roll 56 on the frame member 41, as by bearing structures 57 (FIG. 2). -For a purpose to appear later, the belt 51 is trained over the rear 53 and the intermediate 54 rolls only, whereas the other belts 52 are trained over all three rolls. The front roll 56, thus, has one end 55 spaced from the right side of the machine 10, as viewed in FIG. 2.

As indicated hereinbefore, power for the conveyor unit 12 is transmitted from the reduction unit 26 through a belt 29 to a pulley 58 in the clutch unit 30 (FIGS. 7 and 8). Freely mounted on a clutch shaft 59, to which is securely mounted the pulley 58, is a pulley 61, described more in detail hereinafter. A toothed, continuous belt 62 is drivably trained about the pulley 61 and is also drivably trained over the front and intermediate conveyor rolls 56 and 54 respectively. A pulley 63 (FIG. 7) is mounted on the machine 10 for longitudinal movement thereof, and is adapted to engage the belt 62 so as to tighten the belt about the rolls 54 and 56. By this arrangement, frictional drive from the belt 62 is imparted to the rolls 54 and 56 and thus to the conveyor belts 51 and '52. As the drive emanating from the reduction unit 26 is counterclockwise as Viewed in FIGS. 1 and 7, the upper portions of the conveyor belts 1 and 52 move over the rolls 53, 54 and 56 from the rear of the machine to the front thereof.

The Ileaf aligning structure 13 is comprised primarily of la bangboard 66 (FIGS. 1 and 2) which extends longitudinally along one side of the machine and is spaced outwardly of the first Ibelt 51 more at the rear thereof than at the front (FIGS. 1 and 2). The board 66 is pivotally mounted at its rear end by a wrist pin structure 65 mounted on the adjacent support member 36 and is eccentrically mounted at its front end (FIGS. l and 7). The eccentric mounting structure includes an upstanding pin 67 (FIG. 7) rotatably inserted in a bracket 68 aixed to the bangboard 66. The pin 67 is secured in an offcenter manner to a cam 69 attached at the top of a shaft 71, the other end of a shaft having a beveled gear 72 attached thereto. The gear 72 is in cons-tant mesh with another lbeveled gear 73 secured to one end of the clutch shaft '59 (FIG. 8).

By this arrangement, upon operation of the motor 24, rotation of the clutch shaft 59 will result in a lateral oscillation of the bangboard 66 with respect to the belt 51. Thus, as the leaves (not shown) are placed on the conveyor belts at the rear of the machine with the butt ends extended slightly beyond the outer edge 74 (FIG. 2) of the first belt 51, the oscillation of the bangboard 66 against the leaf butt ends will cause their being 'alignedI when they reach the front end of the bangboard prior to entering the feeding unit 14.

'Ilhe feeding unit 14, the purpose of which is to provide a positive and controlled feeding of the tobacco leaves into the guide means 16, includes an overhead element 76 (FIGS. l and 6) having a depending flange 77 secured 4to the front of a support member 36 as by a bracket device 75, a forwardly extended downwardly curved portion 78 (FIG. 6), and a rearwardly extended upwardly curved portion 79. The front and rear portions 78 and 79 respectively are aligned with and extend over the area between the side flange 77 and the innermost belt 52, which `area was left open by the shortened lbelt '51. In place of the belt 51, a llower guide element 81 (FIG. 6) is extended in a manner parallel to the overhead element 76 whereby an inclined feed slot or path 82 is formed therebetween. The element 81 is secured to a flange 83 depending therefrom which is secured to a short transverse angle piece 84 (FIG. 6) extended inwardly of the adjacent support member 36.

To insure the aligned leaves retaining their positions while being conveyed from the intermediate roll 54 to the front roll 56, and as importantly, to provide for halting or immobilizing such leaf movement as desired, a toothed idler belt 86 (FIG. 5) is mounted above and is adapted to mesh -with the top portion 87 of the drive belt 62. The idler belt 86 is mounted on a pair of longi tudinally spaced idler pulleys 88 and 89 rotatably secured at each end of a bar 91 which is attached to a flexible biasing shoulder member 92 secured to the top of the overhead guide element 76.

The flexible nature `of the shoulder member 92 permits the idler belt 86 to move away from a meshed engagement with the drive belt 62 upon the entry therebetween of tobacco leaves. However, the bias of the member 92 provides a clamping engagement of the leaves between the two belts 86 and 62, whereby the leaves are positively held when halted on or when moving along the inclined path 82 leading to the guide means 16.

The guide means 16, classitiable with the feeding unit 14 as it serves :as that end of the feeding unit wherein the leaves are guided into position within the gathering assembly 17, includes an elongated strap 93 (FIG. 6) having a forward end 94 extended forwardly beyond the front portion 78 of .the guide 76 to which the str-ap 93 is secured. The strap 93 is of a flexible material and the end 94 is resiliently held in place by a leaf spring 95 mounted thereover. Spaced vertically below the strap 93 are a pair of laterally spaced guide rods 96 (FIGS. 2 and 6), the rear ends of which are secured by a horizontally disposed liange 97, integral with the ange 83, to the Iangle piece' 84, Ias by a bolt 98. The front ends 99 of the rods 96 are reversibly curved to form a cradle spaced below the strap front end 94.

The gathering assembly 17 (FIGS. 3 and 4), operable to receive, compact and then discharge bundles of leaves from the guide means 16, includes a rotatable jaw unit 101, a packing unit 102, a driving unit 103, and a conveyor control unit 104.

The jaw unit 101 is comprised of a circular member 105 of X-like design having radially extended arms 106, whereby V-shaped open :areas 107 are formed between each adjacent pair of arms 106. The member 105 is securely mounted on a hub 108 which is secured to a shaft 109 extending transversely of the machine 10 and rotatably mounted at each end on the front end 43 (FIG. l) of `a frame member 41, as by bearing structures 57 (FIG. 2). The location of the member 105 is such that it is rotatable between Ithe forward cradle forming ends 99 of the guide rods 96 (FIG. l). The unit 101 is thus longitudinally yaligned with the right side of the machine 10` as viewed in FIG. 2.

T-he arms 106 are disposed in a common vertical plane and each arm 106 has a flanged, horizontally disposed cover plate 111 formed at the radially outer end thereof, each cover plate 111 in turn having a portion 112 extended partially over 1an adjacent area 107. A semicircular jaw member 113 is iixedly secured to each portion 112 on the upper Surface thereof and extends radially from the unit 101. A second jaw member 114 is pivotally secured, as by a pin 115, to each portion 112 on the lower surface thereof, whereby the lower jaw member 114 -is adapted to be pivoted into complementary engagement with the upper jaw member 113 to form thereby an enclosed circle or pocket. It is noted that the pairs Iof jaw members are circumferentially arranged on the unit 101.

To hold the lower jaw members 114 in a normally open position relative to the upper jaw members 113, a resilient band 116 is strung about a roller 117 rotatably mounted on each lower jaw member 114, thus pivoting each jaw 114 away from its mating jaw 113 and into contacting engagement with a shoulder 118 formed on the adjacent arms 106 (FIG. 3).

A cam member 119 (FIGS. l, 3 and 4), having a portion 121 of its outer surface curved in an -arcuate manner, is mounted on the frame member 41 so as to be -spaced laterally outwardly from the member 105 of t-he jaw unit 101 :and at the rear end thereof adjacent the guide rods 96. The arrangement is such that upon rotation of the jaw unit 101 in a counterclockwise direction las view in FIGS. 3 and 4, as an open pair of jaw members start to move from a 3 oclock position (FIG. 3), the lower movable jaw member 114 is moved into a closed relation with its mating jaw member 113, due to the roller 117 of the jaw 114 rolling along the surface portion 121 of the cam member 119. The portion 121 is of `a peripheral extent such that the jaws 113 and 114 are in a closed relation :at least until they have moved through the 12 oclock Zone and are on a counterclockwise downward swing.

The packing unit 102, which provides the means by which the leaves are packed into veach pair of jaw members as they are in a registered position relative to the cradle forming guide rods 96, includes a resilient, elongated packing finger 122 (FIGS. l, 3 and 7) mounted so as to rotate between the guide rod ends 99. The finger 122 is secured at its inner end to a projection 123 extended radially from a pulley 126 mounted on a shaft 124 :and spaced outwardly from a pocket aligned with the guide rod ends 99 (FIG. 3). It is noted that Ithe shaft 124 is parallel with the shaft 109 of the gathering assembly 17. As the shaft 124 is inserted through and driven by the front r-oll 56, the pulley 126 is mounted loosely on the shaft 124 for relative movement therewith. A belt 127 is trained about the pulley 126 and about a pulley 128 secured to the clutch shaft 59 (FIG. 8). The :arrangement is such that the packing finger 122 will rotate continuously `during operation of the motor 24 against the lip of the lower jaw member 114 so as to pack any leaves therein into a compact bundle.

Drive for the jaw unit 101, transmitted to it by the drive shaft 109, emanates directly at the driving unit 103. As mentioned hereinbefore, the pawl device 32 is mounted to the rod 31 (FIGS. 7 yand 3) which is reciprocably oscillate'd by rotation of the reduction unit shaft 28. The pawl device 32, as a part yof the driving unit 103, includes a rock arm 129 (FIG. 3) rotatably mounted on a shaft 131 extended between and mounted on the frame members -4-1 (FIGS. 1 and 2). One end of the rock arm 129 is pivotally secured to the outer end of the rod 31 (FIG. 3) and the other end is pivotally secured to 'an end of la pawl finger 132.

A spring 133 is secured intermediate the finger 132 and the lower member of the rock arm 129 to bias the pawl finger 132 at Ia predetermined angular position relative to the rock arm 129. The finger has a slightly depending pointed end 134 in constant contact with the outer toothed surface of Ia ratchet wheel 136.

The ratchet wheel 136 (FIG. 2) is of relatively narrow width, is mounted on the shaft 109 for rotation therewith directly adjacent the inner side of the jaw unit 101, and has four series 137 of teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof to match the four jaw member groups (FIGS. 3 and 4). Each adjacent pair of teeth series 137 are separated by an elongated land 138, whereby upon engagement of the pawl finger end 134 on the land 138, the reciprocation of the pawl finger 132 is ineffective to rotate the wheel 136.

An additional or secondary pawl device for the ratchet wheel 136 includes a bar 139 (FIGS. 2 and 4) pivotally secured at one end to the shaft 109 on the inner side of the wheel 136 and having a pawl 141 secured at the other end, one end of the pawl 141 being continually engageable with the teeth 137. The upper end of a rod 142 (FIGS. l and 3) is also pivotally engaged to the outer end of the bar 139 and depends to the base of the machine through a support 143 secured to the front angle iron 44 to a foot pedal 144, which is pivotally secured at one end to the angle iron 44. A spring 146 is placed about the rod 142 and is inserted between the support 143 and a stop member 147 secured to the rod 142 adjacent the bottom thereof so as to normally maintain the rod 142 and thus the pawl 141 in an upwardly extended position.

Foot pressure on the pedal 144 will depress the rod 142 and force the bar 139 and the pawl 141 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3, the engagement of the pawl 141 with a ratchet wheel tooth forcing the wheel 136 to rotate in a like direction. When the wheel 136 is being rotated by the primary pawl device 32, the pawl 141 is sufficiently resilient, due to the spring biased rod 142, so as not to impede the counterclockwise rotation of the Wheel 136.

Mounted securely on the shaft 109 immediately adjacent the inner side of the ratchet Wheel 136, is a cam wheel 148 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of a diameter and width similar to the ratchet wheel 136. The cam wheel 148 has four cammed surfaces or cams 149 and four depressions 151 alternately formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. For operative engagement with the cams and depressions, a pivot arm 152 is provided. The arm 152 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 131 and has a roller 153 freely mounted on one forked end 155 for engaging contact with the cam wheel 148. The other end 158 of the pivot arm 152 is pivotally secured to -a rod 154 (FIGS. 3, 5 and 8) which extends upwardly and is connected at its upper end to a bell crank 156 (FIG. 8), a part of the clutch unit 30.

1t should be noted that a friction brake unit 157 (FIGS. l and 2) of a conventional type is mounted on the outer end of the shaft 109. A sufficient brake on the shaft 109 is continually applied to prevent the driving unit 103, the jaw unit 101 and the conveyor control unit 104 from over-riding or rotating after the pawl finger end 134 has rotated the wheel 136 through a series of teeth 137 and has contacted land 13S (FIG. 3).

The clutch unit 30 (FIGS. 7 and 8) is classified as part of the conveyor control unit 104 and includes the aforementioned drive shaft 59 on which are securely mounted in spaced relation, the clutch pulley 58 for receiving drive from the reduction unit 26, the pulley 128 for transmitting continuous drive to the packing finger 122, and the bevel gear 73 for transmitting drive to the leaf aligning structure 13.

Before describing the clutch unit 30 further, it is best to define here the role of that unit. As touched on lightly hereinbefore, it is desirable for an interval of time to stop the rotation of the rotatable jaw unit 101 when a pair of jaw members 113 and 114 are in an open, leaf receiving position relative to the guide rod ends 99 (FIG. 3) at a leaf loading station. During this interval of time, the feeding unit 14 and the packing unit 102 are operating and cooperate to form a bundle of leaves in the open pocket at the leaf receiving position.

To immobilize the jaw unit 101, the driving unit 103 and the jaw unit 101 are synchronized so that when each jaw member unit 113 and 114 are in the loading or leaf receiving position, the pawl finger 132 is reciprocating on a land 138 and is thus inoperable to advance the ratchet wheel 136, and thus the shaft 109 and the jaw unit 101. Subsequently, by manual operation of the pawl 141 (FIG. 3), whereby the ratchet wheel 136 is reciprocated sufficiently for the constantly reciprocating end 134 0f the pawl finger 132 to engage the rst tooth of a series of teeth 137 next adjacent the particular land 138, the shaft 109 and the jaw unit 101 are simultaneously rotated until another pair of jaws are at the loading station, the previously loaded pair of jaw members having been simultaneously rotated to an unloading or discharging station or position relative to the table top 18 (FIG. 1).

It is apparent, that whereas during the period of time when movement of the jaw unit 101 is sequentially rotating each pair of jaw members 113 and 114 from a loading station to an unloading station it is necessary that the conveyor belts 51 and 52 and the feeding unit 14 be halted, it is also necessary that the conveyor belts 51 and 52 are moving and the feeding unit 14 be operating during the period of time when the jaw unit 101 is halted, so that leaves will be moved in an open pocket and compacted therein. Thus, the accomplishment of a synchronized movement of the belts 51 and 52 and the conveyor belt 62 with a non-rotation of the jaw unit 101, and vice versa, is the main purpose of the clutch unit 30, in cooperation with the conveyor control unit 104.

The conveyor control unit 104 noted hereinbefore, includes the cam wheel 148 mounted on the shaft 109 (FIGS. 3 and 4) in synchronization with the ratchet wheel 136, so that when the wheel 136 is being rotated by the pawl device 32 so as to move the jaw unit 101, the roller 153v (FIG. 4) on the pivot arm 152 is in contact with a cam 149 on the cam wheel 148. By thus raising the roller end of the pivot arm 152, as compared to the position of the arm 152 when the roller 153 is riding in a depression 151, the end 158 of the arm causes the rod 154 and the clutch bell crank 156 to be depressed, whereupon the movable parts of the clutch unit 30 assume positions best shown in FIG. 8, wherein the drive to the conveyor unit 12 from the reduction unit 26 is disconnected, the clutch thus being disengaged.

Such disconnection is provided by the pulley 61 for the conveyor' drive belt 62 being separated from a meshed engagement with a clutch drum 159 (FIG. 8) mounted for longitudinal movement on the clutch shaft 59. The drum 159 is keyed to the shaft 59 for continuous rotation irrespective of its longitudinal position thereon. A spring 160, inserted over the shaft 59 and between the pulley 61 and the drum 159 tends to maintain these two elements in a separated, nonengaging position. An arm 161 (FIG. 8), depending from a sleeve 162, is engaged in a slot 163 provided therefor in the drum 159, the sleeve 162 being mounted for longitudinal movement on a rod 164. The rod 164 is horizontally suspended from a bracket 167, secured to the member 46 (FIG. 6), by a pair of supports 166, spaced transversely of the machine 10. At the inner end 168 of the bracket 167, a pair of elements 169 depend in spaced relation to form a support for a pin 171 to which the bell crank 156 is attached.

The bell crank 156 has a leg 172 (FIG. 8) integral therewith, which leg depends from the pivot pin 171 connection of the bell crank 156 and is pivotally connected to a member 173. The member 173 extends loosely through the adjacent support 166 (FIG. 8) and over a portion of the rod 164 so as to contact the sleeve 162. A spring 174 is inserted over the rod 164 and between the sleeve 162 and support 166 oppositely of the member 173 so as to bias the sleeve 162 against the member 173.

As best viewed in FIGS. 7 and 8, the clutch drum 159 is disengaged from the pulley 61, whereby no drive is imparted to the conveyor unit 12 and to the feeding unit 14, when the pivot arm roller 153 is riding upon a cam 149 0r the cam wheel 148. During this interval of time, the jaw unit 101 is being rotated.

Conversely, as best viewed in FIGS. 3 and 8, when the pivot arm roller rides in a depression 151 on the cam wheel, during which time the jaw unit is halted, the clutch drum 159 and the conveyor pulley 61 are engaged, whereupon drive is being transmitted to the conveyor unit 12 and to the feeding unit 14. The engagement occurs by the resulting raising of the end 158 of the pivot arm 152 pivoting the bell crank leg 172 clockwise so as to move the clutch member 173 away from a contacting engagement with the sleeve 162. The spring 174 then overcomes the opposed force of the spring 160 and forces the clutch drum 159, via the sleeve 162, into a meshing engagement with the conveyor pulley 61.

Thus, by mounting the cam wheel 148 on the shaft 109 whereby the wheel 148 will rotate at a rate equal to that of the ratchet wheel, by having the wheels 136 and 148 of substantially equal diameters, and by having the arcuate length of a seriesv 137 of teeth substantially equal to the arcuate length of a cam 149, it is apparent that during each period of time the ratchet wheel 136 is rotated, the pivot arm roller 153 will be traveling over a cam 149 and will thus be in a raised position to effect a disengagement of the conveyor unit pulley wheel 61 from the continuously rotating clutch drum l159, thus halting the conveyor unit movement. Likewise, whenever the pointed end 134 of the pawl finger 132 is reciprocated over a land 138 so as to be ineffective relative to rotation of the ratchet wheel 136, the pivot arm roller 153 will be riding in a depression 151 to effect an engagement of the wheel 61 and the drum 159 and a consequent movement of the conveyor belts 62, 51 and 52.

An X-shaped member 176 is mounted for rotation on the drive shaft 109 and extends longitudinally of the machine 10 between the front of the belts 52 and the rear of the table top 18. The member 176 also extends transversely of the machine 10 between the left side, as viewed in FIG. 2, and the cam wheel 148. The member 176 has four semicircularly curved, concave sides 177, each adjacent pair of sides being separated by a crown 178. Each side 177 is transversely aligned with a pair of jaw members 113 and 114, and being mounted for rotation upon the shaft 109, rotates simultaneously with rotation of the jaw unit 101.

In the operation of the machine, power emanating from the motor 24- is transmitted at a reduced rate from the reduction unit 26 to the shaft 28 (FIG. 7). Drive from the shaft 28 is imparted via the rod 31 to the pawl device 32 (FIG. 3) which acts upon the ratchet wheel 136 until the land 138 is rotated beneath the pawl finger end 134. At this time, the jaw unit 101 has been rotated by the shaft 109 until a pair of jaw members 113 and 114 are at a position (FIG. 3) where the movable jaw member 14 is openly spaced from the stationary jaw member 113, thus forming, with the guide rod ends 99, an open pocket for receiving leaves therein. Simultaneously, the cam wheel 148 has been rotated by the shaft 109 to a position where the pivot arm roller 153 is in a depression 151 and the clutch drum 159 and conveyor pulley wheel 61 are engaged.

Drive has also been imparted from the reduction unit shaft 28 to the clutch pulley 58 whereby the clutch shaft 59 (FIG. 8) is rotating. This rotational drive is taken from the shaft 29 by the pulley 128 to apply a continuous rotation to the flexible packing finger 122 (FIG. 7), by the bevel gear 73 to apply a continuous oscillation to the bangboard 66, and by the wheel 61, with the clutch drum 159, to rotate the conveyor belts 51 and 52 via the belt 62 and the rolls 54 and 56. The feeding unit idler belt 86 is also being rotated by the frictional drive of the upper portion 87 of the belt 62 (FIG. 5).

At this stage of operation, tobacco leaves are placed on the belts 51 and 52 at the rear of the machine 10 with their butt ends extended slightly beyond the edge 74 (FIG. 2) of the first belt 51 adjacent the rear end of the bangboard 66. As the leaves are moved forward on and by the belts, the oscillation of the bangboard continuously aligns their butt ends. When they reach the feeding unit 14 (FIG. 1), the leaves are grabbed between the idler belt 86 and the drive belt 62 (FIG. 5) and moved down the inclined path 82 (FIG. 6) between the overhead and the lower guide elements 76 and 81, respectively, until they are nestled in the cradle formed by the guide rods 96 (FIG. 3). The non-aligned ends of the leaves rest in the bed formed by the curved side 177 of the member 176 in approximate transverse alignment with the butt ends.

As the leaves are fed from the feeding unit 14 into the guide means 16 and thus into the open pocket, the base of which is the stationary jaw 113, the packing finger 122 is continually rotating, in a counterclockwise manner as viewed in FIG. 3, to pack the leaves in a compact bundle in the open pocket. When the operator of the machine has determined that the desired size of a bundle has been formed, he depresses the foot pedal 144 to thus actuate the secondary pawl 141 (FIG. 3) and rotate the ratchet wheel 136 to a point where the pawl finger 132 engages a tooth of an adjacent series of teeth 137 (FIG. 4). Drive to the conveyor unit 12 and the feeding unit 14 is then immediately stopped by the operation of the conveyor control unit 104 defined hereinbefore. The jaw unit 101 is then rotated one full quarter, whereby the pocket holding the leaves is gradually closed as it is rotated, due to the coaction of the lower movable jaw member 114 with the surface 121 of the cam member 119 (FIG. 4). The leaves are -thus arcuately carried in the closed pocket and by the curved side 177 until they are discharged onto the table top 18 (FIG. 1). Due to the curvature of the side 177 of the member .'176, the free ends of the leaves are held in approximate transverse alignment with the closely held butt ends. The opening of the pocket occurs by virtue of the tension of the spring 116 acting on the lower jaw member 114, when the jaw member 114 has passed beyond the cam member 119.

Simultaneously with the movement of the leaf-loaded pocket from the receiving station to the discharging station, another pair of jaw members 113 and 114 has been moved into place at the receiving station relative to the guide rods 96.

It is seen, then, that the method disclosed herein of bunching or bundling tobacco leaves includes automatically conveying the leaves in a butt end aligned formation to a feeding mechanism from whence the leaves are fed to one of a plurality of pockets wherein the leaves are compacted in a bundle, the pockets being automatically opened to receive the leaves and closed thereabout during semi-automatic movement of the pockets in sequence from leaf receiving stations to leaf discharging stations.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment and method thereof, it is to be understood that it is not to be so limited, since changes can be made therein which are within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

The process of bundling tobacco leaves comprising; the steps of, conveying the leaves in a direction normal to the lengthwise position of the leaves and with the butt-ends thereof extending in a common direction, vibrating the butt-ends of said leaves so as to align said leaves as they are conveyed, then grasping the butt-ends only and simultaneously feeding said leaves in a downward direction in intermittent groups in the aligned position, then gathering each group of aligned leaves to form a bundle, holding said bundle stationary while compacting the leaves in each bundle, then grasping said compacted bundle and delivering said bundle to a discharge station.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 2,989 Reiniger June 16, 1868 703,226 Bissell June 24, 1902 758,765 Marier May 3, 1904 817,011 Smith Apr. 3, 1906 1,842,868 Gough Ian. 26, 1932 2,109,617 Gwinn et al Mar. 1, 1938 2,780,227 Benning Feb. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 156,497 Germany Nov. 29, 1904 257,077 Germany Feb. 25, 1913 433,954 Germany Sept. 16, 1926 457,836 Germany Mar. 24, 1928 580,412 Germany July 10, 1933 98,668 Sweden Apr. 16, 1940 236,008 Switzerland June 1, 1945 

